Vertical retrace blanking



Aug. 19, 1952 G. J. HEISIG 2,607,847

VERTICAL RETRACE BLANKING Filed Nov. 8, 1949 O I ll /,/l2 l3 l4 l5 l6 l7 ANT. 9 Rf OSCL. LE DET VIDEO SOUND CIR. AMP MOD. AMP. AMF! SYSTEM F G. l '3 SYSTEM SYNC. CIRC. 2| 20 HORIZ. SWEEP f SYSTEM 54 INVENTOR GARTH J. HEISIG ATTYS.

Patented Aug. 19, 1952 VERTICAL RETRACE BLANKI'NG Garth J. Heisig, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Motorola, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 8, 1949, Serial No. 126,105 2 Claims. (01. 178-75) :This invention relates to television receivers, and particularly to the blanking or suppression of vertical retrace lines on the picture tubes of such receivers.

Vertical retrace lines are slanting luminous lines which appear on the screen of the picture tube in rather widely spaced relationship if the tracing beam is not suppressed during its vertical return movements. Actually they consist of horizontahline traces which are slanted and spread apart due to the'rapid return of the beam vertically. The video signals which are broadcast by television stations contain vertical blank-' ing pulses for suppressing these vertical retrace lines to some extent. However,-when transmitting certain scenes and 'when .using' certain modulation levels, the blanking pulses of the video signal may not be sufiicient to completely suppress the lines produced by "the vertical retrace. Such a condition is, of course, very annoying-to those viewing the, picture, and to prevent this from occurring, it is desirable that the receiver'itself should include some provisions for insuring that the vertical-retrace lines areeffectively blanked.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide improved means in a televison receiver for preventing the appearance of vertical retrace lines on the viewing screen thereof.

Another object is to generate blanking pulses within the receiver and to apply such pulses to the picture tube in synchronism with the vertical return movements of the tracing beam, thereby blanking the vertical retrace lines in the event that'the'vertical blanking pulses in the received video signal are not sufiiciently strong for that purpose.

Still another object is to utilize a voltage from the vertical sweep system in a television receiver for blanking the picture tube screen during the vertical retrace periods.

.A feature of the invention is the provision of' a'vertical sweep system including an RC (resistance-capacitance) wave shaping circuit, in which the resistance portion has a peaking effect. A voltage wave is thereby developed across the resistance portion including a series of blanking pulses that are synchronized with the vertical return movements of "the tracing beam. These blanking pulses are applied to the peaking resistor has one end thereof connected to ground and the other end thereof connected to a control grid in the picture tube, with the cathode of said tube being biased relative to ground potential and receiving the pitcure signals from the video amplifier. The negative blanking pulses developed in the peaking resistor directly afiect the control grid potential in, the picture tube for the suppression of vertical retrace lines.

:The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will be understood better from a study of the following description thereof taken in connection-with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a television receiver in which the present invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the invention 'as applied to a vertical sweep system for a picture tube ofthe electrostatic type; and

Fig. 3 is a schematic view'showing the application of the invention to a vertical sweep system for a picture tube of the electromagnetic type.

In practicing the invention, an RC voltage divider having a peaking resistor therein is embodied inthevertical sweep system of a television receiverto derive periodic blanking pulses from a sawtooth- (or. approximately sawtooth) sawtooth wave to carry out the objectives of this invention. In either event, the peaking of the sawtooth voltage wave generated within the vertical sweep system furnishes blanking pulses in synchronism with the vertical return movements of the tracing beam in the picture tube, these blanking pulses appearing across the resistor in the'RC circuit. Preferably the picture signals are applied to the picture tube by cathode injection, with the cathode of the picture tube being biased relative to ground. The control grid of the picture tube is connected to one end of the peaking resistor, and the other end of this resistor is grounded. This provides a convenient, simplesystem for periodically biasing the control gridnegatively to suppress vertical retrace lines on the screen of the picture tube.

' Referring now to Fig. 1, the invention is shown embodied in a television receiver of the inter carrier sound type. Signals picked up by the antenna I 0 pass through a tuned antenna circuit II to a tuned radio frequency amplifier I2. The amplified radio frequency signals are mixed with local oscillations in an oscillator-modulator i3, which converts the radio frequency signal to an intermediate frequency signal that is amplified in the intermediate frequency amplifier It. The amplified intermediate frequency signal then is detected in the second detector l5. The output of the detector l5, containing both sound and video components, is fed to a video amplifier IS. The output of the video amplifier H5 is separated into the sound component, a video synchronization component and a picture component. The sound signals are amplified in a sound system H, and are fed'toa sound re-' producer such as the loudspeaker |B.' ture signals in the illustrated system, are fed to the cathode IQ of the picture tube 20. synchronization signals pass to a synchronization circuit 2| having suitable clippers and associated devices for extracting the vertical and horizontal synchronizing pulseswfrom the video signal. These synchronizing pulses are applied respectively to a vertical sweep circuit 22 and to a horizontal sweep circuit 23'that respectively op-, erate the vertical and horizontal deflectors (not shown in Fig. 1) of the picture tube 29.

Thepresent invention is concerned moreparticularly with the vertical sweep system 22 of the receiver, and it contemplates the provisionof an RC voltage divider or peaking circuit 25 inthe vertical sweep System22. In some sweep systems this peaking circuit may already exist for other purposes, and in others it will have to be specially provided. The peaking circuit 25 includesa capacitor 26 in series with a resistor 21... A sawtooth (or approximately sawtooth) voltage wave 28 generated by the vertical sweep system 22 appears across the series combination of the ca.- pacitor 25 and the resistor z'l. Short negative voltage pulses 29 are developed in the resistor?! during the vertical blanking intervals in the received video signal. If the vertical blanking pulses in the video signal are 'not' sufficiently strongto suppress the vertical retrace lines on the screen of the picture'tubeZQ, the negative pulses 29 produced by the peaking circuit 25 may be employed'to suppress the'vertical retrace lines. This is accomplished by applying the pulses 28 to a control grid 30 in the-picture tube 20'for decreasing the intensity of the tracing beam during' the vertical return periods. As a result, the objectionable vertical lines are suppressed inthe picture tube 20;

In Fig. 2 there is shown schematically a vertical sweep system for a picture tube of the electrostatic type having vertical deflecting plates 36 and horizontal deflecting platestl, 1 A

sweep system-of this character is disclosed in,

United States Letters Patent 2 ,458,36'7issued on January 4, 1949, to George W. Fyler and Garth J. Heisig. In this type of sweep system the triode 4|l-functions as a switch tube and also as oneofthe tubes in a multivibrator' that includes a triode, 4| as the other tube thereof-L The triode 4| and another triode 42, which may be containedv in thesame envelope as the triode 4|, operate in push-pull as output tubes for the system.

The purpose of arranging the tubes 4|] and 4| in a multivibrator circuit is to make the system, free-running so that it will continue to function" The pic- The-video chronization circuit 2|, Fig. 1. The arrival of a synchronizing pulse at the grid 43 renders the tube momentarily conductive. When the tube 40 ceases to conduct, a sawtooth voltage pulse commences to build up across the plates of a condenser 44. The condenser 44 is charged through a vertical size control resistor 45 by the source of plate supply voltage for the tube 40. The sawtooth voltage pulse is applied through a coupling capacitor 46 to the grid 41 of the second tube 4|. The feedback connection for multivibrator action is efiected from the plate 48 of the tube 4| through a capacitor 49, resistor 50, and capacitor 5| to the grid 43 of the switch tube 49.

The tubes 4| and 42 operate in push-pull for supplying deflecting voltages in opposite phases to the vertical deflecting plates 36 of the picture tube 35. An amplified sawtooth voltage wave appears at the plate 48 of the tube 4| and is ap- 49 and 6|.

plied through a capacitor 54 to one of the plates 36. The other deflecting plate 35 is coupled through a capacitor 55'to the plate 56 of the output tube 42'. The amplified sawtooth voltage wave at the plate 48 of the tube 4| also is applied across the voltage divider formed by capacitors The voltage across capacitor 6| is applied through resistor 59 to the grid 60 of the tube 42'. The voltage divider provides the, required voltage at the grid 63 so that a voltage having the same amplitude and opposite polarity to that on the plate 48 appears at the plateifi of the tube 42. by the -tube 4| also is differentiated in a differentiat'ing circuit that includes the capacitor 49 and the resistor 58 to provide sharp pulse components on the sawtooth wave which is sent back through the-resistor Stand the capacitor5| to the grid 43' of the tube 4|]. tube 40 toconduct rapidly at periodic intervals for'short ci'rcuiting the condenser 44, which discharges through the tube 4|l and thereby produces the steep sides of'the sawtooth wave. The natural period of the multivibrator 49-'4'|' when free-running is slightly longer than'the period of the external synchronizing pulses, so that the multivibrator actually is triggered by the external pulses. 'The plates of the tubes 40 and 42 are connected together through a resistor 63, which provides a certain amount of feedback from the plate 56 to the capacitor 4 1. This modifies the sawtooth voltage wave developed by the capacitor 44" by increasing the low-frequency components thereof to compensate for low-frequency distortion in the system, so that the vertical sweep is absolutely linear.

The picture tube 35 has a cathode 64 to which The picture tube 35 also has a first grid 66- that ordinarily would be grounded. In the present case, however, the grid 66 is connected to the junction of a capacitor 58 and a resistor 69 that together constitute a differentiating circuit which is connected across the plate 56' and the cathode H! of the output tube 42. This circuit differentiates the sawtooth voltage wave in the output of the tube 42, producing sharp negative pulses 1| acrossthe peaking resistor 69. Inasmuch as the picture tube grid 55 is connected'to The sawtooth wave furnished These sharp pulses cause the ground throughzthe' peaking resi'stor 69, these differentiated pulses 1| periodically 'dr-iv th'egrid 8 negative with respect to ground. 1 Thisoccurs at times whenthe"tracing*bea1nof 'th'e picture tube 35 is ,beingzret'urned vertically. The intensity of the beam is greatly'reduce'dwhen a'p'ulse :H-is impressed upon: the :grid 66,a"nd this preventsany vertical-retrace IinesfroIn'appearing on the screen of the tube 35. :Hence even though the vertical blanking pulses in the' received video signal are very weak, the'picture tube 35 'is prevented from displayingany vertical'retrace lines.

Fig. 3 illustrates an electromagnetic picture tube 15 and its associatedverti'cal sweepsystem; A switch tube 16 andancutput tubezl] arearranged in a free-running;multivibrator. circuit which has a natural period-slightly longer than the period of the synchronizingpulse's applied externally tothe grid 18; of thegtube. 1B. :The voltage wave generated by the sweep system .is shaped so that'it will produce a. sawtooth current wave in the vertical deflecting coils 80 associated with the picture tube 15. To accomplish this, voltage'is applied from a source of positive potential through avertical size control resistor 81 to the series combination of acapacitor 82v and a'resi'stor 83. The capacitor82 and resistor 83 are connected across the switch tube 16, which is periodically rendered conductive to discharge the capacitor 82 through the resistor 83 and the tube 16. The output voltage wave whichiappears across thecapacitorilZ and resistor 83 consists of positive-going "sawtooth pulses at separated'iby negativegoing 'pips 85. f Ihe-capacitorqBZzaand resistor 83 therefore form, .a 3 wave shaping circuit across which avoltage wave of trapezoidal waveform is produced. This complex voltage wave is amplified bythenoutput tube I1 and is pips 85 thereto as explained'above. gj lhe.,sharp negative pulses developed in the *resistor' 83 are;

' in the present instance, applied through thecom applied through a transformer 86 to the vertical deflecting coils 80 of the picture tube 15. LA variableresistor 88in-seriesjwith the outputtube 11. controls the vertical linearity. With this-resistor-properly adjusted, av linearl'sawtooth current wave passes through the deflecting'c'oils 80. A part, ofthe output of 1 thetube 11- passes through a voltage divider network including the resistor 90. capacitor 9| and resistor 92, and a feedback coupling is made from this divider network through a low-pass filter, comprising a resistor 93 and capacitor 94, and thence through a blocking capacitor 95 to the grid I8 of the switch tube 16. This feedback coupling provides the desired multivibrator action. The inductive kick of the deflection circuit is utilized to furnish triggering pulses through said coupling to the tube'lfi.

The cathode 98 of the picture tube 15 is biased positively through the medium of a brightness control potentiometer 99, the opposite terminals of which are connected respectively to ground and to a source of positive potential. The picture signals from the video amplifier are injected into the cathode 98 to produce the image on the screen of the tube 15.

The picture tube 15 has a first grid I00 that ordinarily would be connected to ground. In order that this grid may serve the function of suppressing vertical retrace lines in the picture tube 15, it is merely necessary to connect the grid I 00 by a conductor IUI to the junction I02 of the capacitor 82 and the resistor 83. This interposes the voltage drop in the resistor 83 between the grid I00 and ground. The resistor 83 has a peaking effect which assists in shaping the output voltage wave 84 by adding the negative-going ductor l0! tov the grid 10 of the picturetube-IS for periodically decreasing the intensity ofth'e tracing beamin synchronismwith the vertical returnmovements thereof. Thus, any :vertical retrace lines which otherwise mightappear on the screen of the picture tube 15 are effectively blanked. p i From the foregoing description it is apparent that the invention greatly improvesthe perform! ance of television receivers by eliminatingthe vertical retrace lines under conditions when the vertical blanking pulses in the, receivedvideo signals are weak. The means whereby this: is accomplished is simple and economical; lnithe case of the electromagnetic systempshownin 3, the only change required is to disconnect; the grid I00 from ground and connect it to,the.peak-. ing portion of an RC wave shaping circuit 82 -83 that already'exists in the system.- Inthe case of the electrostaticsystem shownin Fig.- 2,;the only change required is to add the diilerentiating circuit:68 -69 and'connect the grid 66 to-ground through the peaking resistor 69 instead of connecting this grid directly to ground as done heretofore I V t It is important to note, that these changes, though slight, add a new and important function to the first grid of the picture tube and also. to the vertical sweep system,,namely, that of. sup-. pressing vertical retrace lines. .IWhile the invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments thereof, it is recognized that modifications. of such embodiments are possible without departrj ing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Iclaim: ,1 1. In a television receiver whichjincludesa picture tube having means for providing an elec.- tron v beam which-impinges on a screen, which tube includes cathode'electrode means connected to'a source of video signals andgrld electrode means'for' controlling theintensity of the beam in accordance with the potential applied thereto, and which receiver includes vertical deflection coils for producing vertical trace and retrace of the beam across the screen; a vertical sweep system for providing a sawtooth current wave for the vertical deflection coils and for providing a pulse voltage wave for blanking the picture tube beam during the vertical retrace thereof including in combination, voltage generating means having a wave shaping circuit across which a voltage wave of trapezoidal form is produced, said wave shaping circuit including a condenser portion and a resistor portion connected in series, with one end of said resistor portionbeing held at a reference potential, charging means for providing current through said wave shaping circuit for charging said condenser portion to produce the trace portion of said trapezoidal voltage wave, said charging means including a source of positive potential and an impedance element connecting said source to said series wave shaping circuit, and electron tube switch means for providing a low impedance bridge across said wave shaping circuit whereby said condenser portion discharges through said resistor portion to produce the retrace portion of said trapezoidal wave, the discharge of said condenser portion providing current flow through said resistor portion to produce a negative voltage pulse thereacross,-.amplifier "means having an: input; connccted tosaid waversh'aping. circuit and an output 'connectedto the vertical deflection coils for r'Yr'odiwingv a sawtooth current Wave in the deflection-coils in response. to said trapezoidal-wave developed. across said Wave shaping 'means, and a direct =wire connection between said resistor porticnof saidwave shaping circuit and the grid electrode means of the picture tubev for'applying at least a portion of said negative voltage pulse developed across said resistor'portion' to thegrid electrode means for blanking the'electro'n beam ofthe tube as said' condenser portion discharges to thereby blank the beam during the vertical retrace thereon r i a i 2.111 a televisio'n receiver which includes a picture tube having means for providi'ng an electron beam' which impinges o'na screen, which tube includes cathode electrode means connected to afsource of video signals and grid electrode means for controlling the intensity of the beam in accordance with the potential applied thereto'fand which receiver includes "vertical deflection coils for producing vertical-trace and retrace off 'the'beam across the screen; a vertical s vveep system for'providing a sawtooth current wave for the'vertical' deflection coils and for'providing a pulse voltage Wave for blanking the picture tube bearn' during the vertical'retrace thereof including" in combination, voltage generating means having a wave shaping circuit across which a voltage wave oftrapezoidal form is'produced said wave shaping circuit including a' condenser portion and a resistor portion connected in series, with one end of said resistorportion being held ata reference potential, charging'means for providing current through said wave shaping circuit for charging said condenser portion to produce the trace portion of said trapezoidal voltage'wave, said charging means includinga source: of po'sitivepotentialland variable resistar'ice means connecting said source to said series'vvaveshaping circuit, and electron tube [switch means. providing' a; 1o w impedance bri'dgej across said' wave shaping circuit when said tube switch means is 8 conductive,-,;whereby .said condensenpo'rtibndischarges through said resistor portion .to produce the retrace portionsof-said trapezoidal wave;'the discharge: of. ,said ,:condenser:portion providing current flow through said resistorportion to pro duce; a negative voltage pulse thereacross, amplifier means having an input'connected to-said wave. shaping circuit and an output connected tothe: vertical :defiecti'on'coils for producinga sawtoothicurrentrwave in the deflection coils in response to said trapezoidal wave developed across; said Wave shaping means, and a direct connection between said resistor portion of said wave shaping circuit: and the grid electrode meansof thevpicture tube consisting of a wire conductor, said 'wire conductor applying at least a portion of said negative voltage pulse developed across saidresistor portionto the grid electrode means forblankin'g the electron beamofthetube as said condenser portion discharges to thereby blank the beam during the vertical'retrace there of. r

GARTH J. HEISIG,

7 REFERENCES CITED I 'Ihe'iollowingreferences are; of record in the file'of-this patent;

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 'Name I Date 2,202,612 'Urtel May 23, 940 2,215,285 Ballard se tfi'l, 1940 2,235,053 Urtel I Ma'rl1'8, 1941 2,261,776" Poch Nov. 4,1941 2,265,780" Schlesinger- Dec. 9, 1941 2,285,043 ""Messne'r Q." J11Iie 2, I942 2 432173 hea'r D ec. 9, 1947 g FOREIGN PATENTS.-

Number- Country 7 'Date'; 417,590 Great'Britain Oct; 2,1934 526,111 Great Britain Sept. 11, 1940 807,814 France Jan. 22, 1937 845,897 France Sept. 4, 1939 France Sept. 8; 19 9 

